


A Romance in Small Bites

by defuse00



Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre: But She'll Figure It Out, Canon-Typical Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, mentioned homumado, sayaka doesn't know she being loved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:34:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23883094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/defuse00/pseuds/defuse00
Summary: Kyouko looks back up at her, something burning in her eyes. She kisses Sayaka on the lips and then strolls back into the main room.Sayaka reaches up and touches her lips. Kyouko has very warm lips. She hopes Kyouko keeps kissing her, even just as friends. After all, Kyouko would say something about them being girlfriends if she wanted that.Right?
Relationships: Miki Sayaka/Sakura Kyouko
Comments: 15
Kudos: 47





	1. Good Intentions

Being a magical girl is stressful work, which is why Sayaka appreciates that Kyouko brings snacks when they're out hunting. It's nice to have something humanizing at a time when Sayaka feels less than comfortable, burning magic to keep awake as she helps the city thrive. Kyouko's also stopped complaining about when Sayaka and Mami get the group to go after familiars, so she's stopped bothering Sayaka as much. 

Actually, she's been kind of quiet today. Sayaka feels a twist in her gut. Kyouko would be too proud to admit if she's having a problem. Maybe she'll ask her in private after they finish hunting. 

Eventually, their magically enhanced stamina finds its end, and Mami calls for them to head back. Homura gives a quiet goodbye before leaving. Then Kyouko turns to Sayaka, an unreadable expression on her face. "Hey, Sayaka-san, I heard the mall had a new place on the food court with cinnamon sticks. You want to come and try it with me tomorrow?" 

"Oh yeah, sure," Sayaka responds. 

"Oh that sounds delightful," Mami says, drawing Sayaka's attention. "I'd love to join-" She looks at something behind Sayaka and stops talking. Sayaka glances back at Kyouko but she's got her arms behind her back, mock-whistling. "Oh, but I've just remembered that I have another obligation, sorry." 

"Really?" Sayaka says, trying to figure out what she's missing. 

"Oh yes, more research on the adoption process. Trying to adopt with my tricky legal presence is difficult, but I want to help our peers in any way that I can,” Mami rambles. “And I want to check if my theory about the soul gem improvement from defeating Walpurgisnacht being contagious is accurate." 

That all sounds legitimate to Sayaka. She isn't sure what she didn't see but it can't have been too important. "I guess it will only be the two of us, Kyouko." 

"Yeah," she says, brushing a hand through her hair. "See you then."

Sayaka heads off. At least she got set up for that talk she wanted to have with Kyouko. And maybe all that odd stuff was because Kyouko wanted to confess her love. That would be cool, if unrealistic. 

* * *

Kyouko is waiting for her when she gets to the mall the next day. She's in her civilian clothes, but with her jacket unzipped over the crop top. Sayaka isn't sure why. Maybe she's adjusting to the warming weather, but it is still pretty chilly today. What could all these odd things mean? 

"Hey there!” Sayaka says. “Let's go see what these cinnamon sticks are all about." 

"Fuck yes. Wanna race?" 

"No, it's way too crowded here. Besides, I wanted to take this chance to talk to you." 

Kyouko turns almost as red as her hair and Sayaka looks away. She knew that Kyouko would be embarrassed to talk about herself. Has she messed up their precious bonding time? 

"Umm, okay, what did you want to talk about?" Kyouko asks. 

"Is everything alright? You've been kind of quiet lately," Sayaka says, trying to conceal her worry. 

"Nah, everything's fine. Dealing with witches and saving people is probably more important to you than little old me." 

"You're a person too," Sayaka insists. "And besides, you helped me a lot when I found out what being a magical girl truly meant." 

Kyouko looks away. "It wasn't that big of a deal." 

"It was! You stayed with me all night and told me stories about your family and Mami. You assured me that I was still a person, even if my soul was in a little rock." 

"I'm not a hero because I didn't want to see you die," Kyouko argues. 

"Maybe, but it meant a lot to me then," Sayaka says. "It means a lot to me that you stick around now, even if I don't show it all the time." 

"Oh. Thanks." 

When they get to the food stand, Kyouko requests to pay. Sayaka refuses and pays for both of them herself. She doesn't say it, but she doesn't want to use Kyouko's stolen money for herself. 

Walking around after the meal, Kyouko grabs Sayaka's hand. It isn't quite a proper handhold, with no fingers intertwined and everything lined up wrong, but Sayaka enjoys the warmth anyway. 

* * *

Kyouko starts inviting Sayaka on excursions like this almost every weekend. Sayaka is glad for the opportunity to keep an eye on Kyouko. She's the most vulnerable of the five of them, living by herself in a place could be kicked out of. With Mami's attention on bringing a new magical girl to Mitakihara, Sayaka handles the responsibility of making sure Kyouko doesn't do something foolish. It's the least she can do. 

She notes on many of these outings how touchy Kyouko is. She grabs Sayaka's hand at the slightest excuse. She often kisses Sayaka on the cheek as she leaves. 

After some time to get used to it, Sayaka does a few of those things herself. Kyouko would have confessed romantic intentions if she had them, so this must be completely platonic from her perspective. Sayaka intends to respect Kyouko's intent, even if the fingernails tracing patterns on her neck makes her heart do backflips. Hell, Sayaka thinks Kyouko's probably touch-starved after all the time she's spent alone on the streets. Sayaka considers it her responsibility to make sure Kyouko gets some human contact, no matter how it makes Sayaka feel. 

* * *

The cicadas shrill cry fills the air as the pair of girls head to the new arcade. The new location, reconstructed after Walpurgisnacht's attack, was going to be bigger and better than ever. The reopening had been made into something of an event and Kyouko is bringing Sayaka to it. 

"How's Madoka been?" Kyouko asks as they walk. 

"Great," Sayaka tells her. "I was worried for a while that she wouldn't get along with Homura in the long term, but it seems like Homura has gotten less prickly over time." 

"Uh-huh. Any idea how she's dealing with the whole, most of her friends are all crazy powerful magical girls?" 

"I think Homura was kinda helpful in that regard. She asks Madoka's permission before she uses her magic and she's pretty gentle with her. She doesn't freak out when I leave out the window or move too fast, because she's used to it from Homura." Sayaka shakes her head. "I can't believe I'm thankful for anything that girl does, but if Madoka was going to love a magical girl, at least it's one that loves her even more back."

"I guess that's nice. Have you, uh, thought about the future?" 

"The future?" Sayaka hasn't thought about it much, but she has a decent idea of what she wants. "I guess I'd want to go to high school. I can have a normal job and do the magical girl stuff." 

"So would you be moving to another city?" "Well, Mami probably will leave first," Sayaka says, watching Kyouko's reaction. "But since you aren't in school, you could follow any one of us." 

"I'd follow you, duh." 

"So that's the future. We'll keep in touch with the others in case we need help, but otherwise, it would be just us two." 

"That'll be sweet," Kyouko says. "Ah, look, they made it look like the old place." 

The new location is more crowded than Sayaka had ever seen the old location. It's mostly people their age and the machines are almost all the same. Kyouko makes a beeline for the dance machine, but there's already a girl on it. The redhead makes an irritated noise, digging into her box of picky. 

Sayaka looks around as they wait. There’s a few shady-looking girls on the other side of the machine, whispering to each other and pointing at Kyouko. Sayaka isn't sure if she's going to have to do something till the girl at the machine turns around and recognizes Kyouko. 

"Oh shit! The crimson demon of Kazamino, back from the grave." 

"Like I can die, dumbass," Kyouko grumbles. 

"Could have fooled me with all the doom and gloom talk," the mysterious girl taunts. "Why didn't you tell us you were leaving?" 

"You aren't my boss. You can handle yourself." 

The girl gets off of the machine and faces Sayaka. "So what's the deal with blue hair, huh? Cat got your tongue?" 

"I'm just here with Kyouko," Sayaka tells her. "No need to get aggressive." 

The girl smiles. "Maybe I want to be a little aggressive." She swings a half-heart punch at Sayaka, but the magical girl blocks it easily, revealing her enhanced speed. "Another magic girl, really? Is that what you wanted from me?" 

"Fuck off." Kyouko looks pained. Sayaka doesn't know what these two's history is, but it's obviously contentious. "Like I told you, it wasn't anything you did." 

"Whatever," the black-haired girl dismisses. "New chick, wanna try and beat me at DDR? Neither of us will even get close to Kyouko's record, but I want to see what you've got." 

Sayaka looks at Kyouko, who gives her a small shrug. She walks to the other machine. "Never played before," Sayaka admits. 

The girl smiles. "Then you'll have a handicap for the magic stuff. Ice Cream Revenge, expert difficulty." 

Sayaka keeps up, but she can't actually beat an expert at the game. While she's playing, she watches the crowd. The visiting girls watch them both, but Kyouko has eyes only for her. Is she looking for something? 

"Beat you, blueberry. Hey Kyouko, wanna come back with us? I'll suck up to you if you scare some cops away from our hangout again." 

"Nah, I like it better here," Kyouko responds. 

"With a stick in the mud like that? You can do better." 

Kyouko sighs. "I'm not coming back, Chinami. I left you, and I might have changed, but not in a way that gives you a chance. We had a nice time back then, but it’s over." 

"Fuck." The girl looks down. "Can I visit sometimes?" 

"Yeah. Is your mom still -" 

"-a cunt? Yeah. She probably doesn't even know that I'm gone." 

"Do you want to visit Mami's after this?" Kyouko asks softly. 

"I thought you said she wasn't cool." 

"Well, maybe I didn't know what was cool yet." 

* * *

Mami plays the hostess like she was born for it. Her conversation dances around sensitive topics, and she manages to regale Chinami with stories of their magical girl exploits without being overbearing.

Sayaka leans next to Kyouko as she looks through Mami's fridge for a snack. "So much for the vicious loner," Sayaka says. "You two are ex's, right?" 

"Yeah. I hung with their gang sometimes and a girl has urges sometimes, you know. And they thought of me as something between an alien and an angel, so lots of them were willing to open their legs for me." Kyouko sighs. "It didn't make me feel any better."

"You don't have to justify yourself to me," Sayaka tells her. "You probably stuck with her for longer cause you knew you were helping her." 

"I didn't think of it that way then, I justified it by making her pay me for the privilege. But in reality, I just didn't want her to be alone."

"Why'd you break up?" 

"I couldn't justify it to myself," Kyouko admits. "I had more than enough money, I didn't do charity those days and the sex was unsatisfying. I was still kinda sad about it, for reasons I didn't understand then." 

"You were definitely a piece of work back then." 

"It turns out being nice suits me too well," Kyouko jokes. 

"Why didn't you go back after Waispernacht?" 

"I wanted to stay here, with the team. I still can learn a lot from Mami, Homura's got a few tricks I can pick up and well," she looks away from Sayaka, "I like sticking around the girl who taught me how to be selfless again." 

"Thanks," Sayaka whispers, choked with sudden emotion. 

Kyouko looks back up at her, something burning in her eyes. She kisses Sayaka on the lips and then strolls back into the main room. 

Sayaka reaches up and touches her lips. Kyouko has very warm lips. She hopes Kyouko keeps kissing her, even just as friends. After all, Kyouko would say something about them being girlfriends if she wanted that. 

Right? 


	2. Savior of the Meek

"And here's our newest recruit!" Mami announces. "Say hi to everyone, Nagisa-san." 

"Hello there. I'm Nagisa Momoe and I'm pleased to meet you. I hope I can be of some assistance in our battles." 

The girl is so small. For a moment Sayaka burns with rage at Kyubey. There is no way to describe this girl but as a victim, groomed into trading her life away. A child by any standard. This softens into empathy. They need to take care of this girl. She's only known a world eager to tear her apart and chain her down. 

Kyouko appears to have skipped the intervening steps in favor of a more basic reaction. "Look at you, so small and cute! I bet you're really strong in fights, aren't you," she says in a sing-song voice. 

"I'm not a baby," Nagisa grumbles. 

"And so fierce, too! Boop!" Kyouko tries to touch her nose, but Nagisa smacks her hand away. 

"Leave her alone, Kyouko," Mami says. 

"Leaving her alone, yes ma'am," Kyouko responds, taking a step back. 

"Is it safe to bring her into fights?" Homura questions. "She's very young." 

"I've been fighting for almost a year now. You won't stop me!" 

Homura bows her head. "Sorry." 

Sayaka clears her throat. "Do we want to talk business right now, or relax for a bit first?" 

"I have a cake in the oven right now. If you girls want to talk while I finish it, you're welcome to it. Sayaka, keep Kyouko in line." 

Kyouko pouts at Mami as she walks away. "But she's just so cute!" 

"And a fellow magical girl, worthy of our respect," Homura says. "Do you have any hobbies, Momoe-san?" 

"Umm." The girl looks down. "I used to like to draw. But I've been too busy to do it for a while." 

Okay, now Sayaka understands why Homura had killed Kyubey so much, even if it didn't achieve anything. She wants to pop that fucker’s head off like a bottle cap right now. 

"If everything works out, you'll have more free time here," Homura says. "Will you be going back to school?" 

"I'm not sure," Nagisa admits, toying with the fabric of her dress. "I'm behind by a lot in my classes." 

"You can recover from that faster than you might think," Homura tells her. 

"If I don't want to go, is that okay?" 

"I think we can arrange for Mami to homeschool you," Sayaka says. "And any of us would be willing to help you." 

The young girl nods, tears in her eyes. "Thank you very much." 

"Oh look, cake!" Kyouko says. 

"Cake!" Nagisa yells. The two girls begin to talk about their shared love of food as they dig in. Sayaka's glad Kyouko found some ground on which to relate to Nagisa on. 

* * *

"Okay, the first witch of the night," Mami says as she skids to a stop. "Homura, do you recognize this one?" 

"No." 

"Okay, everyone. Be careful," Mami instructs. "Vision in the labyrinth looks limited with the mirrors, so Kyouko and Sayaka, don't expect the usual amount of support. Yell if you spot the witch."

The light in the labyrinth is harsh and bright, reflecting off of the hundreds of mirrors. Kyouko tries to break one, but her spear rebounds from its unyielding surface. The familiars are a collection of silver threads, with ink coated pens that they swing like clubs. Sayaka can handle them easily enough. The shots from Mami's and Homura's guns blend with the sound of Nagisa's horn, and Sayaka tunes them out to focus on looking for the witch. Which is why her first warning something is wrong is Mami's inhuman scream. 

Sayaka clears the incoming wave of familiars and turns around to look. Nagisa is spinning in circles, blowing out bubbles with no concern for caution or friendly fire. Mami is soaked in Homura's blood, still gushing from a massive hole in her skull. Homura seems unphased by her horrifying injury, continuing to maintain the pair’s defense against the familiars and the bubbles that now separate them from Sayaka and Kyouko. Sayaka has no idea what just happened. She can't talk to Mami through the deafening approach of exploding bubbles. 

She grabs Kyouko and yells, "We need to get to Mami, figure out what to do." 

Kyouko nods, and together they start moving through the storm of bubbles. Luckily, the familiars also have to deal with Nagisa’s bubbles, so they aren't a problem. The bubbles are, however. When practicing earlier, Sayaka had seen Nagisa’s attacks blow through solid concrete, and the bubbles destroyed the sabers she blocked them with. Kyouko was even worse off, with her spear coming to pieces every time she blocked and her typical magic barrier has no effect against them. 

Kyouko rushes ahead anyway and pays for it with a glancing blow from a bubble that injuries her leg. Sayaka moves to defend her against the rest of the storm. She knows that she should move past her, help the more seriously injured Homura. Kyouko can take care of herself. But she makes a snap decision to protect the girl in front of her. 

The bubbles don't wait for her to be certain in her choice. She blocks as many as she can, dropping the shards of her swords and drawing new ones as fast as she can. The vibration shakes her whole body as she holds her position. She blocks the bubbles directed at her torso first and burns magic to heal injuries on her limbs before they can impair her. 

She feels like she only held the position for a few seconds, but it feels like an hour before Kyouko yells, "I'm up. Move!" 

She follows Kyouko's run, keeping her body between the bubbles and Kyouko. They reach the other two uninjured and take shelter behind a barrier of altered time from Homura. 

"Sayaka!" shouts Mami, voice wavering. "Heal Homura!" 

Sayaka runs behind Mami and grabs Homura's shoulders, pumping magic into her. She watches to make sure the healing works, seeing Homura's head knit back together like water filling a bowl. But everything seems fine and Homura takes a moment to nod her thanks before returning to clearing bubbles. 

"I'm healed!" Homura yells. "Mami-san, how are we going to stop Momoe-san?" 

"I'm going to go in there and get her to stop. Kyouko, cover my left side, Sayaka on my right. Homura, watch everything else!" 

Mami charges in, guns blazing. Sayaka knows to follow her lead in a crisis, her experience and skill shining through in her plans. She keeps up with Mami, defending her as well as she can. Mami breaks through the barrier and disarms Nagisa of her horn. 

As the bubbles clear, Sayaka spots the witch in the distance. She also spots two missiles from Homura on track for it. She covers her ears as the explosions destroy the witch and collapse the barrier. 

Nagisa is wailing, tears streaming. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I forgot you guys were there, they hurt me and I panicked, I'm sorry, please don't leave me -" 

"Shh, it's alright," Mami says as she kneels beside her. "No one died, and you're safe now." 

Nagisa sniffles. "But I hurt you. I'm dangerous." 

"Homura, get a grief seed. You aren't dangerous Nagisa-chan. We managed fine. Was it scary for a moment? Yes. But we got through it, and you're still a part of our group." 

Homura offers a grief seed to the pair, and Mami presses it to Nagisa's soul gem. The gem is a murky grey, nothing like the white pearl Sayaka had seen earlier. The seed restores the gem to its former luster before making its way back to Homura. 

"Do you feel better now?" 

"Yeah," Nagisa whimpers. 

"As I said earlier, your soul gem being low on magic can affect your mood," Mami reassures. "If you run low at a bad time, it can lead to you rejecting grief seeds and well, you know what that leads to. That's why asked if we could use grief seeds on you, even if you were trying to refuse them. Speaking of which, soul gem check!" 

Kyouko groans. "You can see that I'm fine, Mami." 

Homura rotates her hand to show her own gem, while Sayaka manifests her own in her palm. The normally pure blue gem is darker than she would prefer. 

"Can I get the rest of that seed?" Sayaka asks Homura as Mami allows Nagisa to inspect her soul gem. 

"Of course." 

The relief of using the grief seed is muted. The misery that once gripped her hasn't touched her since Kyouko talked her down on the train. 

"Sorry about not healing you as soon as I could," Sayaka tells Homura. 

"It's fine." 

"Yeah but I still feel bad about defending Kyouko's scratches over your more serious injury." 

"I was in no great danger, while she was," Homura says with no inflection. "Consider it a matter of prioritizing." 

"Okay," Sayaka concedes. 

"Okay, everyone, let's head back," Mami announces. "We're in no condition to continue." 

"Mami-san, we haven't gained anything yet," Nagisa says, panicked. "We used the seed that you earned making up for my mistake. With a group this size, we need at least two seeds per night." 

"Not after the upgrade we got. We're lucky enough to have earned an improvement that means we only need grief seeds about once a week. And we've used the opportunity to have something of a reserve." Still kneeling, Mami looks Nagisa in the eye. "When I told you that everything was going to be okay now, I meant it." 

* * *

Homura insisted to Nagisa that the best way to apologize for the injury was to go to bed at an appropriate time, so she was resting in her new room. The others are quietly discussing the plan for the next hunt. 

"So Homura or I will bail Nagisa-san out as soon as she has an issue. Sayaka and Kyouko, that means you might have to fend for yourselves some more," Mami explains. 

Kyouko laughs. "That's fine. We can handle ourselves." 

"Okay. Sayaka, can I speak to you privately for a moment?" Mami asks. 

Sayaka nods and they walk into Mami's kitchen. "Listen, if this is about when I defended Kyouko over healing Homura," Sayaka whispers, "I don't know what I was thinking. I'll try not to do it again." 

"It's fine," Mami says, smiling. "Homura isn't mad about it, and I don't think her self-destructive streak is our problem to fix. Kyouko was in more trouble than any of us, because she was ill-suited to defend against this kind of issue. Which is exactly why I wanted to talk to you." 

"Huh?" 

"All of us have made progress on our magic since Waispernacht," Mami explains. "You've developed the ability to heal others, I've been working on those ribbon traps and Homura has been combining her shield and time-stop for a better defense. But ever since her family died, Kyouko hasn't been able to use her magic because of the memories associated." Mami looks away. " And while I hate to put any pressure on her, we could be the ambassadors of a new kind of magical girl. She needs to be strong enough to help represent us." 

"What am I supposed to do about that?" Sayaka asks, confused. 

"I know you two are close. Can you do some rudimentary therapy, see if she's ready to recover from her trauma?" 

"I don't know," Sayaka says. "I might be overstepping my bounds. But if you think it's needed, I can try." 

* * *

"This is a really nice place we're going to this time. How did you hear about it?" Sayaka asks. 

"Oh, I asked Homura if she knew anywhere a little more upscale," Kyouko admits. "It's kind of embarrassing taking you to the same hole in the wall every time." 

"I can't believe you managed to earn enough money to go to a fancy restaurant just by doing errands for Mami." 

Kyouko puffs out her chest. "Yeah, but you heard it from her. I knew you didn't want my dirty money to pay for your food, so I hit up Mami for some clean cash. She's been real busy with homeschooling Nagisa-chan, so having me do errands is a big help."

"Well, you've proved you've got a work ethic in there. Why don't you try to get a real job?" Sayaka asks. 

"I've been thinking about it," Kyouko says, toying with Sayaka's fingers. "I could do a delivery service or something. I'm all over the city anyway, might as well get paid for it." 

"That's a good idea!" Sayaka says, surprised. "Do you know how to set that kind of thing up?" 

"Not really. It's only a concept at this point." 

"Mami might know a few good places to start." 

"Probably, yeah," Kyouko concedes. "But come on, let's not talk about business right now. How's school been?" 

Considering that Sayaka wants to find an angle to probe Kyouko’s psyche, she'd prefer to talk business. "Pretty well, I think. Saotome-sensei is between boyfriends, which means she's actually teaching us stuff. Hitomi keeps whining about how busy Kyosuke is, but what was she expecting? He's a successful violinist first, her doting boyfriend second. Maybe third, he's really dedicated to his studies." 

"Glad you didn't end up with him, huh?" Kyouko asks, grinning. 

"Yeah. Sometimes you idealize someone and they turn out to be something completely different." 

"Good thing you turned out to be exactly what I was looking for, huh?" Kyouko says, wrapping her arm around Sayaka. 

"You shouldn't - I'm not perfect, you know," Sayaka argues, blushing. "I'm just a person." 

"My favorite person," Kyouko croons, "my muffin, my blueberry, my ice cream cone on a hot day -" 

"Alright, I get it." 

"You literally redeemed the villain with your pure heart," Kyouko continues. "You're the most magical girl, besides maybe Mami." 

"Can you let me try to help you a little more tonight?" Sayaka asks, concealing her nerves. 

"Hmm?" Kyouko hums. 

"After we eat, we need to talk about stuff. Like your past." 

"Oh." Kyouko shrinks into herself, separating their hands. "Are you sure? We seem to be fine these days, just leaving that behind us." 

"We'll talk about it after we eat. I don't think it's possible to spoil your appetite," Sayaka jokes in an attempt to dispel the sudden change in mood, "but I do want to enjoy your treat." 

The meal is tense with the future talk hanging over the girl's heads. Sayaka would start the conversation now, but she doesn't want an audience if Kyouko starts lashing out. No one deserves that. Kyouko eats in fits and starts, devouring food like she normally does before looking at Sayaka as if in the anticipation of something. As their meal concludes, Kyouko rushes them out and to a quiet corner in a nearby park. 

"Alright, let's get this over with," Kyouko says, voice strained. 

"Are you sure?" Sayaka asks, suddenly guilty. "It seems to still be a sore spot for you." 

"I'm not going to let my past get in the way of our relationship. Come on!" 

"It's less about us and more about the group." 

"Come on, Sayaka!" Kyouko insists. "The anticipation is going to be worse than the real thing at this rate." 

"Fine. Mami thinks that you're falling behind the rest of the team because you aren't using your magic. We know it's more difficult for you because of how badly things went from your wish but," Sayaka hesitates, "we have the chance to change things for all magical girls, make things better for everyone." 

"Geez," Kyouko exhales. "I'm as good as any of you in a fight. Magic isn't everything." 

"I'm catching up to you," Sayaka says before she manages to reel in her competitive instinct. "Look, if you don't want to think about it, that's fine, I understand. I'd get as far away from the memories of anything that bad as I could. But I want you to be fighting by my side in three months, in a year or in five years. So can you try? For me?" 

"I guess," Kyouko says reluctantly. "I'll talk about it some more, see if I can get my magic back." 

Sayaka leans back on the bench. She's crossed the first hurdle at least. 

"I never knew if my dad slowly figured something was up or if he realized it all at once. Maybe he thought he'd gotten some kind of blessing from God or something. He made jokes to that effect sometimes." 

"I don't think I've ever seen someone as mad as he was when he found out what was going on. He didn't understand it, hated it. Said it went against everything he believed in." 

"I just wanted him to be happy, you know. I didn't even understand the ideas he was preaching." 

"Because you were, what ten? How can you say you did something wrong?" Sayaka considers that she should be letting Kyouko talk, but her heart demands that she preempt Kyouko's attempt to discredit herself. "I should have had the maturity to realize my wish was bad, but no one can blame a child for wanting their father to be happy." 

"But he wasn't. He hated what I did, what I made him. Any benefits he got from my wish were an illusion, a trick doomed to failure." 

"That isn't your fault!" Sayaka yells, louder than she intends. She cares too much to restrain herself now. "Do you blame a cat for bringing a dead rat to your door, thinking that you admire its hunting prowess? You teach them that your goals are different from what they think. Your crime was being handed more power than a child should have." 

"I - then whose fault is it then? My father, for being unable to handle the reality of his success?" 

"No, it's fucking Kyubey's, for acting like a kid should be able to change lives with a few words. Every time a contract is made, we're lucky if it doesn't kill people. You never hurt your family," Sayaka says with steel in her voice. "You only tried to help." 

Kyouko looks up at her, tears in her eyes. "Are you sure?" 

"You tried to do good. That bad things happened because of it isn't your fault." 

Kyouko wraps her arms around Sayaka and sniffles into her shoulder. "I felt like Mami was judging me when I told her what happened. Like I should have made a better wish." 

"I doubt that," Sayaka reassures. "She regrets things too. She regrets not saving her family with her wish and probably blames herself for being selfish and foolish. She'd never blame you for a wish that went further than you thought."

Kyouko only cries for a minute or so. Then she shakes her head and says, "Whew. All this emotional recovery has got me hungry. I've still got some money left over, you want dessert?" 

Sayaka laughs. "Alright, we can go get some more food. I was hoping we'd get the chance to talk some more, now that you feel better." 

"Well come on, let's get some ice cream." 

Kyouko smiles and talks with Sayaka about the latest goings-on at school as they walk to the dessert shop. Sayaka can tell that she's changed. Shaken off a burden that she had silently endured. It would be good for all of them for Kyouko to have come to terms with her tragic past. 

They get to the shop, where Kyouko orders a triple serving of various fruit flavors, while Sayaka only gets a small chocolate cone. They take a seat in the store with their orders. 

"Hey, Kyouko. Do you want to try an illusion?" 

"Hmm. I guess." She scrunches her face for a moment, which Sayaka finds cuter than she would ever admit, and a red orb appears over her hand. 

"Fuck yes!" Kyouko looks at a Sayaka with a massive smile. 

"That's pretty sweet," Sayaka says, poking a hole through the side of the sphere. "How big can you make the illusions?" 

"I think I made one the size of a house once. It's more a matter of the mental image than the size." 

"Oh, yeah, that would make sense." 

"I'll show you something more detailed when we're somewhere private," Kyouko assures her. 

* * *

The apartment Kyouko occupies is nicer than Sayaka expected. It wasn't falling apart and it was bigger than her room. It still didn't feel like someone intended to stay, with the floor dotted with empty boxes and plastic wrap. 

Sayaka imagines this would be more exciting if the pair of them were dating. There'd be an undeniable tension, and the fact that she'd chosen to sit on Kyouko's bed would be full of meaning. But Kyouko hasn't admitted any feelings and Sayaka isn't about to try to confess in this situation, with Kyouko in such a good mood. 

"Can I try something now?" Kyouko asks, already transformed. 

"Uh, sure." 

Kyouko takes a step to the right, and another her takes a step to the left. They repeat the process forwards and backward. 

"It's like riding a bike," Kyouko murmurs, mostly to herself. "You just have to get back on." 

Sayaka doesn't know where to look. "Wow. That's sweet. Way better than anything I do." 

All the copies of Kyouko freeze, then start moving towards Sayaka, one putting a gentle, warm hand on her shoulder. Sayaka can't tell if it's real. 

"You keep us alive, don't you?" Kyouko tells her, her voice echoing. "That's better than any fancy trick." 

Another one is behind her, hand in her hair. Is the breath on her neck another illusion? 

"It might be useful, but it isn't fun. It's," Sayaka's voice breaks, "dehumanizing, to break a wrist and just put it back together in seconds. I'm afraid of becoming distant from normal people. There's something inherently human about pain and recovery." 

"That's why you have us," a third Kyouko murmurs in her ear. "As long as you're still a magical girl, we can bring you back. I thought I was past humanity, past other people. But you showed me that I wasn't." 

"I guess I should be glad I have you to center me." Sayaka leans back into Kyouko's arms. This one supports her, lending credence to her reality. One of the ones in front of her kisses her forehead. 

"Oh, babe. I'll do more than center you. I'm the improved version of Kyouko now, and I gotta find a way to thank you for that." The Kyouko behind her slips her hands under Sayaka's shirt, while the illusion trails kisses towards her ear. 

Sayaka thinks Kyouko ought to save this kind of thing for a girlfriend. It's tempting to let her continue, but Sayaka feels she has to interrupt for both of their sakes. 

"I know you like the touchy-feely stuff Kyouko, but that's a bit much." 

The kissing illusion dissolves into smoke and the real Kyouko behind her pulls back her hands. "You got it, honey. You want to play some video games?" 

"Sounds fun." Sayaka knows the two of them can be good friends, and she won't let her feelings get in the way of that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fond of this chapter, despite the length of the fight scene. It made me like Nagisa a good bit more as well. Tempted to write a short fic of Homura getting home and talking with Madoka about this night, her empathizing with Nagisa and getting hurt would make for some good character introspection, but would make for very short fic. *shrug*


	3. Chapter 3

Sayaka has always managed to keep her head above water at school. But warnings have been coming from every source that the next test is going to be rough. And while she's doing okay now, a poor grade on this test is going to sink her. 

Which is why she finds herself going over her notes for the third time, even on a Saturday that she had planned to spend with Kyouko. She isn't happy about it but she has to if she wants to pass. 

Her focus is disrupted by a knock on her window. It's Kyouko. 

Sayaka pops the window open. "I told you, I've got to study today." 

"I had to see it for myself," Kyouko says, miffed. "Doing some reading instead of hanging with me?" 

"It's for school, Kyouko," Sayaka emphasizes. "I know you don't go, but some of us do." 

"But why? You can live any kind of life you want. Why a normal one?" Kyouko asks, sincerely. 

"I want a normal life. Using my power to get something more would ruin the whole point." 

"I guess." 

"I mean, everyone feels better when they interact with other people," Sayaka tells her. 

"But enough to deal with this boring shit?" 

"Everything requires some effort," Sayaka explains carefully. "A social connection requires social niceties, even if you have to work for it." 

Kyouko frowns. "Well, I guess you really want to work on this right now since you dropped me for it." 

"Sorry, but yeah," Sayaka admits. 

"No, it's chill. You've got your priorities. I shouldn't be the only person you hang out with." 

"You don't take up that much of my time, Kyouko. You're important to me too," Sayaka assures her. 

"I know," Kyouko admits. "I just feel bad when you rather do this shit than hang out with me." 

"I'd ask you to help, but I imagine you're even worse than I am." 

Kyouko laughs. "You're right about that. See you tonight?" 

"Yeah. The western part of the city, right?" 

"Yeah. You better be there." 

"I will." 

Sayaka continues working in companionable silence. She's glad she could convince Kyouko that her own studying was a good idea. With any luck, they might be able to get Kyouko to get some more education, or at least know how far she is behind. While a complete education probably isn't in her future, Kyouko will lose out on a lot if she stays the way she is. 

Still, it isn't like Kyouko is lacking in any important ways. She's learned quite a few things on the streets, and she's got a kind of battle cunning from her experience. But every time she looks confused at a menu or completely lost at Homura's attempts to predict witches with statistics, Sayaka feels bad. Like she's failed her in some way. 

It isn't reasonable to think that way. Kyouko has refused all offers of school attendance. And Sayaka gets it, she does. After so much time on her own, it has to be hard to tie herself to a particular plan for the future. 

Sayaka is trying to work her way through a tough English problem when she hears another knock on her window. It's Kyouko again. This had better be important. 

"What is it?" Sayaka asks as she opens the window. 

"I thought you looked hungry, so I brought you some snacks." Kyouko declares. 

Sayaka is about to complain about the interruption until she smells the warm food and realizes how hungry she is. 

"Alright, I think I can take a little break." 

Kyouko cheers quietly as she pulls the noodle cups through the window. "I got you the pork one, your favorite." 

"It won't be as good in the cups as it is from the stand." 

"Well, duh," Kyouko says. "But it's still food." 

Sayaka nods. "Itadakimasu." 

They eat on Sayaka's bed in relative quiet. Sayaka is tempted to try to read and eat at the same time, and Kyouko is lost in thought. 

"Do you ever think you settled for something less than your full potential?" Kyouko blurts out. 

"Huh?" 

"I mean, like, do you think you could have done more?" Kyouko asks, tripping over her words. "That you could have chosen better people to connect to?" 

"Is this about us?" 

Kyouko nods. "You could have done so much better than me." 

"How?" Sayaka asks, confused. 

"You go to school, you see hundreds of potential connections every day. I can't possibly be the best person for you." Kyouko puts her head in her hands. "I'm not even a good person." 

"Bad people don't think of themselves as bad people. They think of themselves as justified," Sayaka says, putting a hand on Kyouko's knee. "You can't count the stuff you regret as part of your current self." 

"But I was the one who did that just, not some distant past me that I can blame. I have the ability to do those things, to hurt and kill." 

"And I don't? I was willing to kill you for not doing everything you could to save people. How does that even work?" Sayaka sighs. "You aren't evil because you did or could do something. The only thing that matters is what you do now." 

"That's nice to say, but what good stuff have I done? I've only killed witches for the last few months, which I have to do anyway." 

"Well, you killed familiars too. You help Nagisa-chan. And you brought me food." 

Kyouko blushes. "That doesn't mean anything. Just because I'm nice to you doesn't mean I'm nice to everyone." 

"You're doing a good deed with no expectation of a reward," Sayaka argues. "Besides, would you have done this kind of thing for the girls you hung out with in Kazamino?" 

"No." 

"So there. You're a better person, the kind I want to spend a lot more time with." 

Kyouko is silent for a moment, then plants a gentle kiss on Sayaka's cheek. 

"Thanks," Kyouko says. 

"Anytime." 

* * *

"I'm so happy Kyouko-chan has a real job now," Madoka cheers. 

"I know," Sayaka responds. "Now I don't have to worry about her getting banned from the ramen shop for robbing an ATM. Trust me, we'd need Homura to change the paperwork fast if we wanted to prevent a disaster." 

Madoka giggles as she stuffs more clothes into boxes. Kyouko gives a fake laugh and kisses Sayaka. "I only take you out for ramen all the time because I'm cheap. But now that I've got only clean money and I live closer to you, I can show you all the food you've been missing." 

Sayaka smiles. "I'm looking forward to it." 

Kyouko glances down at her phone. "Ah, Mami says I can take a look at the new place. Madoka, Sayaka, can you finish this up? I really want to see where I'll be living." 

"No problem." 

"Thanks, babe." Kyouko gives Sayaka a kiss and a hug before leaving.

Madoka hums a few bars from her favorite song as she works. Sayaka's glad that they've managed to stay friends, between Madoka's relationship with Homura, her own magical girl activities, the increasing difficulty of school, and her outings with Kyouko. Part of the reason they've stayed so close is that many of those things are related, but still. 

"Are you excited about your girlfriend moving closer to you, Sayaka-chan?" 

Sayaka jumps. "What? No, she's not my girlfriend. She's just friendly and a little loose with her hands." 

"Really?" Madoka tilts her head in confusion. "She kissed you, and she calls you cute nicknames." 

"No, no. She's never done anything romantic in the traditional sense." Sayaka considers for a moment. "Wait, no, that isn't true. Were all those outings actually dates?" 

Madoka looks at her phone. "I'm pretty sure she's called you her girlfriend before. Oh, here it is. She called you her girlfriend when she asked Homura for restaurant recommendations." 

Sayaka looks at the screen. "Wow. I'm pretty fucking stupid aren't I? Kissing me right in the face and I don't get a clue." 

"What were you waiting for?" 

"A confession of feelings, like in the stories. Although I guess all of it was a confession, one day at a time. Taking me out to eat, helping me on the rough days and bringing me food while I was studying were all ways to say 'I love you'." 

"I can't believe you didn't notice," Madoka says, smiling. 

"She's at the new apartment, right?" Sayaka looks at the window. "Sorry to dump this whole job on you but -" 

Madoka laughs. "Go kiss your girlfriend, you silly bean. I can handle this myself." 

Sayaka transforms and pops open the window, leaping to the next rooftop, and crossing the city from above. The world has just opened up for her. The girl she's kept a secret crush for has wanted her too, for longer than she thought possible. She isn't going to miss this chance. 

She lands on the roof of the apartment building. Kyouko had gotten a top floor apartment, for easier access to the city's rooftops. Good for her, in this case. She dashes to a fire escape and slips through the door. 

"Sayaka?" Mami asks. "I didn't expect to see you here. Is something wrong?" 

Sayaka looks straight at Kyouko with a look that she hopes communicates everything she wants to say. Kyouko doesn't seem to get it. But Sayaka should have realized relationships don't work the way you think they should. Not like a movie where you completely understand each other. So she says the words she's wanted to for so long. 

"Kyouko, I love you." 

Kyouko looks back at her, confused. "I love you too, but why did you run across the city to tell me?" 

Sayaka decides that a more direct form of communication is needed, and embraces Kyouko, pressing their lips together. Kyouko responds, the pair's normally gentle, chaste kisses becoming a contest to see who can craft the superior experience. 

Sayaka pulls back for air but Kyouko doesn't let up, cutting off her inhale with her tongue. Sayaka shoves her back and coughs, and Kyouko stops in place, a torn look in her eyes. 

Mami clears her throat. "You two seem awfully eager to start making this your home, but could you perhaps wait until I'm not in the room?" 

"Sorry," Sayaka exhales. "I'm just -" words fail her again. 

"Sayaka, can you please explain what's going on," Kyouko begs. "One second you're on me like you're in heat, the next you're pushing me away again." 

"I, uh, sort of only now figured out we were girlfriends and I kinda - wait, again?" 

"Anytime I tried to get hot and heavy, you made your no's nice and clear so I thought you weren't interested in that kind of stuff," Kyouko explains. "Are you seriously telling me you didn't know we were dating?" 

"God I was fucking stupid," Sayaka says, putting her face in her hands. "Do you want to make up for lost time tonight, here?" 

"Oh yeah, that sounds awesome. We're going to make out on every piece of furniture in here." 

"I did not need to know that," Mami interjects. 

"Sorry, Mami," Sayaka says. 

"I think you two lovebirds can tour this place on your own," Mami tells her with empty sharpness. "I'll head back home and try to forget what I heard." 

Mami leaves the pair with a smile and together, they take a look at the new life they're going to share. 


End file.
